9
ACI NEWS
More than a year after the Federal
Government held its International Anti-
Corruption Day forum at old Parliament
House it has still to finalise a national anti-
corruption plan.
ACI Managing Director, Martin Tolar
said in spite of the Commonwealth Attor ney
General's Department holding two public
forums on the subject and seeking consultation
on the draftplan; along with a proposal to
remove the use of facilitation payments
as a legitimate business practice from the
Commonwealth Criminal Code, Australia
remains no closer to resolving how best to deal
with corruption.
"Consequently Australia now lags behind
the UK and the US, both of which have
recently enacted new legislation a nd issued
new guidance in this area," he said. "At
a time when serious questions are being
asked of the Governor of the Reserve
Bank about the role the RBA played in the
Securency case, along with three former
NSW Ministers having appeared before an
ICAC inquiry into alleged corrupt practices,
you would think the Gillard government and
the Attorney General would make this issue a
high priority.
"Members have told us on many occasions
that due to the lack of clear guidance on this
issue by the Australian Government it has had
to rely upon guidance materials issued by the
UK and US authorities when entering into
new international markets.,"Tolar said. A plan
needed to be established that not only ensured
Australia met its commitments but also
provided regulatory certainty in an effective
manner for Australia's business community.
Government needs hurry-up
on anti-corruption plan
There is little doubt
Clare Mann's cover
of her latest book
Com municate, How
to Say What Needs
to be Said, When it
Needs to be Said and
How it Needs to be
Said, is designed to titillate.
It invites the reader to be hea rd, whether
in the boardroom or the bedroom (and
everywhere in between).
If you are looking for a guide to effective
pillow talk though this might not be for you
-- but perhaps it is.
For GRC professionals the need to engage
those at the top or organisations and assist
them with leading change is vital. These
skills of persuasion and communication
can be difficult to master, especially in a
relationship of imbalanced power.
Mann, an organisational psychologist
takes us on a journey in and out of the
boardroom to unlock the key to "calm
communication" -- what she describes as the
"Rolls-Royce of listening".
This, says Mann, goes well beyond just
talking and listening and is essential for
unlocking effective leadership.
"It's about how the quality of our
communication affects the quality of our
results," she says.
The idea for the sub-title came from
Mann inter viewing 23 senior executives
as part of her research and a further
50 through corporate coaching. She
found that some of the cou ntr y's leading
executives could clearly and effectively
relate in their job but on the home front,
la mented how their com munication skills
were sadly lacking when it came to their
spouse, partner or children.
It depends, says Mann, on a person's
ability to galvanise thoughts, find
appropriate vocabulary and adapt it to suit
the audience.
To order a copy of the book ($49.95), go to
w ww.communicate31.com
Mann: Calm communication key to making sense
and mastering our interactions
ACI's strategic initiatives to grow
membership and activities across
Australia, New Zealand and Asia
continued throughout the year as did
membership growth in non-financial
services sectors, as the 2011/2012
ACI annual report outlines.
There were 421 new member s
during the financial year and churn
was low during the renewal period.
ACI managing director
Martin Tolar said the
organisation continued to look
for opportunities to expand the
international membership base
so as to build a stronger global
network of like -minded people.
For more highlights and financial
results, please visit ACI's website
www.acigrc.com and follow the
link under 'About ACI'.
You must first log in to your
membership.
ACI annual
report online
BY DE NISE MCNABB